This article is concerning, you want to end religious violence, but you then want to insulate that religion from any constructive critique. Then you throw up as a defensive mechanism this "block thinking" nonsense. When the majority of mosques and Islamic centers are funded by Salafist funds from Saudi Arabia compare that that world view with any concepts on personal or collective freedoms or liberties.
Also the the catagory of what you call extremists the numbers are flawed and so is the catagory, the most important catagory would be fundamentalists, and then have the courage and intellectual ethics to look at that number. Sharia Law and its pervasive application is completely antithetical to developing the foundation the first important building blocks of a free society.

Education is a major milestone for a nation to prevent that sort of religious extremist activities but I suppose that the author has no idea about what is taught in the schools across the Middle East seperated from Israel and Iran, partly. It's highly acceptable that the governments would like to have an education system by all means of religion but the PISA results for education show the exact opposite of what I just said. Trying to make students have ''a wide range of knowledge'' is not someting to be achieved by the context of current educaitonal system in the Middle East. The pathetic position of science courses in Turkey is a fabulous example in terms of the explanation meant in this part of the piece.

That'd be shame for weapon industry manufacturers if that's the case we're talking about. Religious violence just met a new era by the hand of the USA and the EU when Erdogan got elected in 2002. The ones thinking that the western countries could actually create a barrier to the emerging violence of religion in the Middle East is way too far from the truth itself. Events that Turkey has been through for the last 14 years never look like the ones it had ever had before, the following seize of Turkish Ground Troops with the Syrian civil war is nothing but a chance for Erdogan to spread and to get his politically sick ideas contagious to all over the East, especially to the countries like Egypt which had a major chance to overthrow radical islamist government. The role of the USA during the downthrow of Kaddafi whom was frankly ''overthrown'' is an evidence that it has a set of multiple ways to intervene the Middle East. As speaking of Turkey, making Turkish Army seize the territories for the FSA -moderate islamist terrorists- is an unbelievable mistake when compared to the latest failed-coup back in July 2016. A nation's army which is the second most compelling one in NATO is something that had to be intervened by NATO but, an entire nation is suffering from the mistakes of a selfish guy with a huge amount of greed like never seen before. Substituting the ISIS with the FSA -moderate islamist terrorists- is no good for the future of Syria by no means.
Another aspect from the current situation of National Intelligence Agency (i.e. MIT) is awfully pathetic that they could not have a single intelligence regarding the latest terrorist attacks in Besiktas and Kayseri followed by one another in a weekly period.
Frankly, it's sorrowful not to see any indication of emerging radical islam in the author's piece regarding Turkey which has been having over 3 million refugees and backing up the FSA -moderate islamist terrorists- against the regime.. Speaking of the events that already happened is not a way of ''ending religious violence in the Middle East'' actually. The only way to prevent from occuring is to mention the new assests trying to create that set of governance which will be disaster the EU all over again.

The key to education in this area is the distinction between FACT AND FAITH. Fact has to be publicly accessible; it is objective. Faith, although it may be largely inherited, is never publicly accessible; it is subjective. Secular government has to be expressive of fact rather than faith if is to treat all ci tizens equally, according to every human being the same respect and , since they are all human, the same rights and responsibilties. Only IF this distinction is honoured can there be a firm foundation for good, inclusive government - not otherwise.

NATO and its friends countries would be very upset if there would be peace in the ME. The weapon manufturers, the IT which sell software to suck ujp sall the data from the cellphome of the population would be extremely upset too. Can you imagine CGHQ. NSA, Canadian CSIS, NewZealand Intel Agency and Australia intel agency going out of business? The five eyes (with or without fake little trudeau) would be in depression. Can you imagine how all these workers would feel? Or how the warmongers like Clintons Blair, Bush, House of Saud, bankesters, House of Orange and Windsor would manage without wars and conflicts
Also not mentioning think tanks, central banks, BIS, etc...
Ending violence in the world period would create havoc in the heart of capitalism where greed, usury and destruction reigns and make the GDP go up.
As a capitalist yourself and your friends in this site approves of the present madness...how do you reconcile?

Moha Ennaji urges for an end of "religious violence" in the Middle East without mentioning the power struggle between Iran and Saudi Arabia, which is the source of sectarian strife in the region. In the last few years vicious fighting in Iraq and Syria "has left more than 180,000 Iraqis and 470,000 Syrians dead," while millions have been displaced and forced to flee, among whom many women and children.
But the author says "all of these human costs are symptoms of a deeper problem – and, contrary to popular belief, that problem is not Islam." It is true that, even if Islamist extremists are Muslims, it "does not mean that their religion, not to mention their ethnicity or culture, is inherently violent." Unfortunately Saudi-funded Wahhabi clerics are seen responsible for spreading the austere version of Islam, rejecting non-believers and inciting violence. The religious tenor of this hardline and politicised Wahhabism is being ahered by al-Qaeda, the Taliban and ISIS in their implementation of Sharia law and Islamic values in all aspects of life.
According to the author, the Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor does not see Islam as "the real threat" but as a result of “block thinking,” which fuses a varied reality into "one indissoluble unity," and in two ways. First, "Islamic extremists comprise less than 0.5% of the global Muslim population, yet their worldview dominates media coverage not just of Islam, but also of political developments in the Middle East." Second, if one could erase the "huge differences" among Muslims, one would come to a "single, simplistic perception of Islam."
It's easier said than done, because 0.5% of some 2 billion Muslims still makes 10 million Islamist extremists. Both media outlets and Islamists benefit from this coverage, which is a double-edged sword. "As a result, many in the West have embraced Samuel Huntington’s theory of a 'clash of civilizations,' which assumes that Islam is at odds with modernity."
It is true that this "assumption ignores the ideas and impact of Islam’s early reformers..... who continue to influence Muslims everywhere." In fact the region was more stable when Iran and Saudi Arabia had a good working relationship. But the 1979 Iranian Revolution ushered in an Islamic republic, that put an end to the rule of the Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlevi, who had alienated powerful religious and political forces with a programme of modernisation and Westernisation.
At first Saudi Arabia's King Khalid personally congratulated the founder of the new republic Ruhollah Khomeini, stating that “Islamic solidarity” could be the basis for closer relations of two countries. But Ayatollah Khomeini’s claim to be the leader of the Muslim world did not go down well with the Saudis, who not only claimed the same but also tacitly supported Saddam Hussein during Iraq's war with Iran.
In the last three decades their oil revenues had been channelled to poor Muslim countries - most notably in Afghanistan and Pakistan - setting up religious schools to brain-wash impoverished youths and teach them how to be terrorists.
While much of what the author proposes makes sense to bring peace and stability in the Middle East, enabling governments to pursue "bold and creative policies that address the inadequate education, high unemployment, and pervasive corruption that are helping to fuel violence and unrest in the region," both Iran and Saudi Arabia need to distance themselves from policies that "Islamize" every issue. Secularism is a better approach to "advance democratization, economic development, and the emergence of a strong civil society and progressive media." In education and not religion can young people see their future prospects.

Mr. Mohna Ennaji originates from Morocco. Therefore, it wonders not, why he “thinks”, that he must defend Islam.
That’s why he doesn’t give an analysis, but he shouts out like a priest in the desert – “look people, I’m not so, I’m different!”.
But his “ideal world” in Morocco is built on a patriarchy of the Stone Age, which has nothing to do with the Age of the Reconnaissance.
He accuses the extremists in bloc building, but where would be his billions of Muslims without the oil dollars from dictators? You can rather identify, that the lack of self-identification is by Monha Ennaji filled with Islam, to give him some purpose. And this “fact” let you also question his fulfillment with the culture of the free world, to give himself an importance in life.
Maybe, my critic seems too personal. But I don’t know Mr. Mohna Ennaji. So, it’s nothing personal, taking him as a pattern, where everybody can himself choose, what might be the nearest denominator.
I am myself Ukrainian. So, I could count myself as an orthodox or a catholic-orthodox. But I don’t choose so, why I know, what damage has done the Byzantine orthodoxy or Catholicism to my European culture, to bring it down to this pitiful state. Now the orthodox world is ruled by former KGBists, and they kill and torture in the Caucasus, Ukraine, Syria…, together with Islamists.
That’s the reason, why Obama’s government “distinguish” in regard to Islam, that the Kremlin can’t stir up the whole Islamic world against the so-called “West”. If Mr. Moha Ennaji copies only such a behavior without a deeper understanding, than he helps nobody, except the extremists. And it is a danger that Mr. Moha Ennaji can turn himself into an extremist, in case of disappointments by such a superficial worldview.
Even, Mr. Moha Ennaji misses important cornerstones of the history of his country and region, like the culture of the Berber, which suffer hundreds of years from the foreign Islam. The Berber could unite Europe and Africa, bringing an end to the corrupted Islamic world, which has also penetrated Europe, where Berlusconi gets underage girls from Morocco and Moscow. Italy has now become a center of pedophilia, thanks Putin and Mohammed VI, why pedophilia is bound to the abuse of power…

"Today, Muslim thinkers – such as Iran’s Abdolkarim Soroush, Tunisia’s Tahar Haddad, Pakistan’s Fazlur Rahman, Morocco’s Fatema Mernissi, Egypt’s Qasim Amin, and Sudan’s Mahmud Muhammad Taha – continue to explore the connections between Islamic thought and modern values." Soroush, it is true, is still alive but how influential is he really? Fazlur Rahman is remembered more for his failure to create an ecumenical Islam under Ayub Khan. The 'top down' approach favored by technocrats backfired completely and sectarianism increased and was co-opted by the Army with tragic consequences.
One promising area of inquiry in the Seventies was an Islamic economic system which would have done away with the central role given to the interest rate by neoclassical economics. This could have incorporated Friedman's ideas. Islam could have developed a genuinely different 'macro' model which better served a developmental role.
The irony is that Islamic 'internationalism', as championed by people like Turabi, was not able to establish itself and, instead, national and sub-national rivalries have reasserted themselves with a vengeance. Is this the fault of 'modernity' or was it always part and parcel of politics in the region? The fact is sectarian differences became a proxy for regional differences a very long time ago and have propagated themselves in conjunction with political struggles among elites.
It was certainly possible for Governments in the region to adopt a 'secular' modernist identity fifty years ago and to implement policies aimed at improving the lives of the great mass of the people. However, ambitious development programs and sweeping socio-economic reforms (e.g. Nasser's or the Shah's land reforms) produced some unanticipated problems. Rapid social change increased frictions within society. It is easy to put all the blame on authoritarian state structures or a 'democratic deficit' but there is no magic wand by which the capacity of the State can grow in a balanced manner alongside a massive shift in the mode of production.

This issue, and any resolution are so complex. However, the focus, of resolving any of the violence in the Middle East, needs to be assumed within the Middle Eastern nations. Then, perhaps, there can be some attempts at focus on stabilizing the Middle East by agreement within the nations of the Middle East. The problem is NOT "block thinking" by people in the rest of the world. You are trying to pawn off the problem on the rest of the world. You are trying to blame the thinking of citizens, or populations in other nations that are not experiencing the violence that is occurring in the Middle East. Because of the outflow of such massive exodus from the Middle East, other Nations that accept these populations will be dealing with enough problems. Other Nations that are accepting these refugees are experiencing the social impacts on their societies as these refugees bring their personal attitudes of tremendous deprivation and attitudes of violence into other nations. Don't try to confuse the message. The message of violence in the Middle East is the fact of the social constructs and infrastructures and policies, or lack of humane policies that are supported by political leadership of the Middle East Nations. The unfortunate facts need to be dealt with by Middle Eastern Political and social leadership. Presently, the only action that is occurring is the Middle East is the wholesale exporting of one product, violence, at extreme costs to other Nations globally. Middle Eastern populations need to resolve their problems within their own boundaries. Leadership in Middle eastern Nations need to deal with their own problems. The Middle Eastern Nations need to start exporting some positive goods to the rest of the world. What products do the Middle Eastern Nations export to the rest of the world, other than "VIOLENCE" and "HOSTILITY"? Can you even name anything else?

No, the answer is not that little three letter word that begins, possibly with an "o", or maybe a "g". The "g" word is probably the crux of the issue presently. There is an extremely intense power struggle that has developed that is affecting many citizens within the Middle Eastern Nations. There is also (ironically) a real snow-ball effect affecting surrounding nations in the Middle East, and into the European continent and beyond. Certain key leadership consider the "massive toll in human lives and welfare" a mere drop-in-the-bucket, apparently. If the rest of the world really and truly needed that unmentionable, then a second
question is why is Venezuela suffering such a present escalating economic dilemma? Of course, there are a few other key questions, and answere too that could help to clarify the critical mess.

Before the Prophet Muhammed started reciting the words of Allah among the tribes of Arabia violence was a common thread. During 610 to 632, while the Messenger preached among his fellowmen barbarity among the clans continued unabated...and after his death the bloodshed continued.

When you state that the "escalation of radicalism, violence, and civil wars in the Middle East since the so-called Arab Spring revolts began in 2010 has exacted a massive toll in human lives and welfare" you are absolutely correct...but this genocide surrounding Islam has been ongoing for centuries. This contemporary cycle of savagery is just another manifestation of the DNA of the region.

Currently we can blame the drones, invasions, the Sykes-Picot treaty, colonialism, globalization, the Israelis, the CIA, the French, the Brits, alienation, unemployment, illiteracy, poverty and all other malaises you can dream of stemming from multiple Pandora boxes but what about the past?

The West did not create the principles of ghazu, jahiliyyah or the spirit of jihad; they did not forge the Quraysh clan that ruled Mecca at the onset of Islam; certainly did not divide the world into Dar al-Islam and Dar al-Harb. All of this religious ideology originated from that particular geographical area which we now denominate the Middle East.

As we find ourselves in a vague clash of civilizations as the departed Samuel P. Huntington clearly defined with facts when he wrote that magnificent eye-opening book, Islam has to develop strong and meaningful voices to denounce the bestiality that is perpetrated across the continents under the tenets of Islam. Silence at the atrocities being committed is not the route to take. One has to truly analyze why throughout the ages it has been a religion associated with conquest by the sword. Perhaps by studying the past and reforming the present we can alter the future.

Not a religious war?
Why is that the antagonists belong to different sects of Islam. The lines are clear.
Christian and Yazidi minorities have been slaughtered by mainly Sunni groups if not exclusively by Sunni groups.
In Syria, there is a minority Alawite regime supported by the Christian minority up against a majority Sunni oponent.
Given how Sunni groups have behaved towards minority groups, it is no wonder the Alawites are fighting as if back to wall.
The horrors will continue until the warring groups sicken of murdering each other's children.

"none of that means that Islam is inherently violent". Perhaps. But it is a reasonable question to ask if it is inherently intolerant. This intolerance prevents peaceful transitions of power that don't involve nepotism. This intolerance prevents a consensus-based democracy of 60+% rather than tyranny of the majority. The jihadist may be only 0.5% of the population, but they are viewed as symbols of the intolerant and that population percentage is much higher. I thought that during the Arab Spring, the irrelevant were going to rise up and be relevant. Didn't happen. Intolerance ruled.

In my imagination a time will come. when subgroup liberation becomes abundant and boring for a while and many people will again turn to moral idealism. Depending on how good or bad the time of subgroup liberation was, those people will pursue forwarding of seemingly best-for-all goals for more or less encompassing groups of "all". We can influence this process and subsequent estimation of "all".
I use special concepts here, if you see a reason, there is more to read in my account's biography.

The majority of Muslims in the West are moderate but even they have an integration problem. It doesnt become much an issue until it impacts on the host population. It is for Muslims to deal with and the host population to have tolerance. In some predominately Muslim countries neither dealing with the idea of integration aka peaceable co-existence, or expressing tolerance seems to be happening very much. Some of the problem seems to be funding from petrodollars perpetuating conflict. The majority of victims of Islamic violence are Muslims and that is likely to remain the case. It is a religious civil war

Steeve Hurst: Instead of making this broad statement,".. Integration problem.." Of Muslims, can you provide explitely written/explained proposals for a average Muslim man in the West? Will steps such as ..not wearing un trimmed beard, skull cap, not eating non-halal meat, not-demanding seperate prayer time in schools, etc.., help integrate? The answer lies in confronting deeper causes!

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